Heidelberg and Gallus have utilised Labelexpo Europe 2023 to emphasise its commitment to smart, connected printing by introducing a trio of systems addressing the shortage of skilled labour, increasing productivity and reducing waste.
Heidelberg sees digital label printing as a desirable market to grow in the digital printing segment, with a growth rate of around 6 per cent per year. The latest innovations from both companies underscore their commitment to boosting this digital transformation.
Heidelberg CEO Dr Ludwin Monz said, “The new solutions that Heidelberg and Gallus have developed together address the most important challenges that stakeholders market-wide are facing every day, such as the shortage of skilled labour and the demand for more productivity.’
Labelexpo marked the European trade show debut of the new Gallus One digital label press.
Launched in August 2022, the Gallus One was designed to remove the total cost of ownership (TCO) barrier for adopting reel-to-reel digital labels with the highest level of automation and cloud-based technologies.
For the first time, it aims to provide brands with access to cost-effective, sustainable, high-quality digital labels.
Further optimising the TCO benefits, Gallus recently launched the new Gallus One with Converting.
This new solution brings the entire production in-line, featuring a digital printer with an in-line flexo station, a semi-rotary die-cutter that can change a job within one minute and process up to 70 metres per minute, and vision inspection systems to ensure the highest level of quality and minimise waste.
Labelexpo visitors also have a chance to see how to turn a Gallus ECS 340 into a hybrid system with the help of the newly available digital printing unit (DPU).
Launched this year as part of the inaugural Gallus Experience Days, the DPU transforms a traditional Gallus ECS 340 into a Gallus Labelfire 340 hybrid press without the additional platform investment.
This means that customers can now access the flexibility and versatility of digital printing but with the reliability and precision of conventional printing and further processing technology.
The trade show also provided a platform to showcase the new Heidelberg Customer Portal (HCP), which was recently unveiled at the opening of the Gallus Group’s landmark new industry facility – the Gallus Experience Center – and which automates almost every customer touchpoint.
The future iterations of the HCP will also provide predictive capabilities utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to provide recommendations to drive productivity, reduce maintenance, and boost profitability. The new platform is expected to save customers, on average, up to 35 per cent in both time and money.
For high-volume applications, experts from Heidelberg also showcase a complete production workflow for in-mould label production.
Gallus Group CEO Dario Urbinati commented, “Labelexpo is always such a positive and inspiring arena, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity not only to showcase our latest products at the show but also to connect with stakeholders market-wide and continue to share our vision for the industry’s future.”
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